ending to bearing the burden part one

Chapter 7: Hell Hath No Fury Like A Wounded Demon
         Dustin woke up from what seemed to be a never ending nightmare. He looked around, and saw only a throne, and a blinding light sitting in it, if light can sit. He saw a dark figure standing next to him, but darker than any dark he’d ever seen. He hated being next to the figure, and he didn’t know why. He looked back at the light, which was moving.
         “Welcome Dustin, I’ve been expecting you” the light said.
         “As have I” the figure said, turning his head toward Dustin. Dustin ignored the figure, not wanting to catch it’s eye, if it had any. Dustin continued looking at the light, asking it with his eyes to continue.
         “As you very well know, you are now dead” The light said. The figure beside him seemed to be pleased upon hearing this.
         “And because you lived your life filled with hatred and murderous desire, yet still sacrificed yourself to save others, you seem to be in a unprecedented loophole. So I’ve asked my… acquaintance here to help me decide what shall become of you” the light said in a booming voice.
         “And I have already said what I think should befall our friend here, he should come with me” the figure said in a voice that sounded like chains being drug through muddy gravel.
         “Yes, but self sacrifice usually results in a second chance in situations like his” the light retorted.
         “But he didn’t have the “Gift” you gave through your son, so that means he’s mine” the figure snapped.
         “I belong to no one but myself” Dustin said, starring the figure in the face.
         “Now I don’t know who you two are, but you seem to be talking as if I’m not here, and talking of me as if I’m some sort of prize, something I don’t like” Dustin said coldly.
         “That’s what I mean, that’s what makes him mine” the figure said, ignoring Dustin completely. Dustin reached for where his weapon should be, but found only air.
         “You don’t have any weapons here boy, and even if you did, they’d be useless” the figure said mockingly.
         “I don’t need a weapon to take down trash like you” Dustin said.
         “Do you not know who I am? I am the source of evil itself, I am hatred personified, I am the devil” the figure said, shedding his cloak to reveal a figure that looked unmistakably like Drake, but had a different air about him, something much darker than Drake.
         “Devil huh, then I suppose you must be God” he said to the light.
         “Smart for a nonbeliever” the light said with a slight chuckle.
         “Yeah, I still remember a lot from my Christian days, until you abandoned me that is” Dustin said. God couldn’t hide the hurt in his eyes, which seemed to please the devil.
         “You just keep throwing yourself over to me don’t you?” the devil said with a cackle. Dustin turned and punched the devil in the face, causing the devil to fall to the floor. “Shut up, this doesn’t involve you” Dustin yelled. God started laughing.
         “Even in death you fight on, I love that, glad I made you that way” he said. The devil rose and grabbed Dustin by the collar of his coat.
         “You insolence will be punished you little insect, I will personally make sure you don’t go a single second without feeling the flames of hell seeping into your skin throughout eternity” the devil yelled. Dustin slipped his arms out of his coat and kicked the devils legs from under him.
         “And so long as I exist, I will continue to fight back, if nothing else but to make sure that I seep into your skin every second that I’m in hell” Dustin said with a psychotic grin. God was still laughing.
         “It looks like I won’t have to fight you after all, I can just send him” he said, trying to stop his laugh attack.
         “We’ll see how much fight he has left in him once I take him with me” the devil said, making no attempt to hide his anger.
         “Dustin, what fate do you believe should befall you?” God said to Dustin.
         “I have no problem going to hell, so long as Raven is safe” Dustin said, looking the devil in the eye.
         “Ah yes, the new girl. She just got saved you know” God said, reaching into his robe for something.
         “Really, well how long until you abandon her too?” Dustin said coldly. A tear formed in God’s eye as he pulled out a mirror. In it, Dustin saw himself, then a picture of himself as a twelve year old, curled into a little ball, crying. Then he saw Raven, crying, praying for him, and then he saw Drake stab Raven in the side. His looked down at the ground, then through gritted teeth, he said,
         “Send me back”
         “As you wish, but if things stay the way they are, you’ll die, but instead of here, you’ll go to hell. I wish you luck Dustin” God said as his eyes glowed for a moment.

                             Chapter 8: Return Of Bereavement
         “I’m going to have fun with you before I let that happen” he whispered into her ear, then he began to laugh a sadistic laugh, thinking of ways to make her hurt. Suddenly a figure in a black trench coat appeared in front of Drake, and then promptly punched Drake in the face. Raven ran behind Dustin, who looked her in the eye and said,
         “Raven, get out of here. I won’t let my return be for nothing.” Raven took a look at Drake as he wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes wide with shock, and then she ran towards the RAGE base.
         “I KILLED YOU, YOU’RE SUPOSSED TO BE DEAD” Drake yelled as he got up.
         “I was, but I got better” Dustin said with a sly grin. He reached for his weapon, and found his old one in his hand. He looked at it for a second, and was amazed to find it was still in one piece. He spun it over his head and then snapped into an offensive stance. Drake held up his sword, ready for a fight. He leaped through the air and slammed his blade down onto Drake’s, nearly breaking Drake’s sword. He pushed off of it, leaped behind Drake and held up his sword to block Drake’s counterattack. Sparks flew as the blades connected, and Dustin pushed Drake away, followed by a slice by the other blade. It sunk into Frank’s side, causing blood to spill on the ground.
         “What’s the matter, you going easy on me, or have you never fought a demon before?” Dustin said with a vampirish grin as he twisted his blade and pulled it out. Drake was astonished, why was he so much faster now? Why is he even here now? He glanced into the sky and realized what happened. God sent him back to save the girl. When he looked back at Dustin, he was gone. Drake looked to his left and right, then ducked as Dustin’s weapon sliced overhead. Drake stabbed behind at him, but hit nothing. Dustin was gone again. He looked up, and saw a black figure come screaming from the sky, his blade aimed right at Drake’s head. Drake blocked, and the ground buckled under the power of the blow. Drake pushed Dustin off of his blade, but the force of the blow had done it’s damage as Drake’s blade slowly cracked and broke.
         “You little (expletive). This time when I kill you, STAY DEAD” Drake said as he placed his foot under the Tommy gun he used to kill Dustin’s comrades. Dustin stood there, waiting. Drake picked it up, and Dustin had yet to move. Drake pulled the trigger and laughed triumphantly as the gun fired into Dustin’s body. The gun ran out of ammunition, and Dustin still stood, with the body of a O.N.E. soldier in front of him.
         “How did you get so fast” Drake yelled as he ran at Dustin.
         “I ran a lot of laps, and drank plenty of juice” Dustin replied as he leaped for Drake. Dustin landed on Drake, piercing him through the chest and pinned him to the ground.
         “Jokes aside, you should direct your attention to my feet. I’m not wearing boots this time, I’m wearing shoes. You see, my boots I used to train with, they carried a 100 pound weight in each of them, which put me at half speed. Now I don’t have the hindrance, and I can easily out maneuver you” Dustin said with his shoe on Drake’s neck.
         “Why did I wear my boots when I fought you the first time you say? I didn’t want to live through the fight, so I held myself back on purpose” Dustin added as he pulled the blade from Drake’s chest, and beheaded Drake as he had beheaded his family. Dustin held the head by it’s jet black hair and looked it in it’s cold lifeless eyes.
         “Try coming back now, piece of (expletive)” he said, tossing the head aside.
         “Didn’t you learn anything from our last encounter? I CAN”T DIE” Drake yelled, his body grabbing his head and reattaching it. Dustin yawned and put his weapon away.
         “You impudent brat, I’ll kill you” Drake yelled as he ran at Dustin. Dustin turned to walk away, whistling the melody of a Demon Hunter song. Drake yelled as he raised his fist getting ever so close to Dustin. Dustin, in a fluid motion, turned and punched Drake in the face, making the scar on his neck start to bleed. Drake went down, he’d been knocked out cold.
         
         “Weakling” Dustin said as he continued walking.

         He approached RAGE, saddened at the thought of the bodies he’d seen. He was glad he saved Raven, but was still hurt that he couldn’t save Jacob and the others. He thought of God, and how he proved Dustin wrong. He didn’t abandon Raven, he brought Dustin back from the dead for the sole purpose of saving her. And if it weren’t for the tragedy that befell him, would he be strong enough to beat Drake? Or make the Devil scared? Dustin chuckled a little at the thought of the devil’s face after he punched him. Maybe he let the pain take over his mind when he denounced God. Maybe he should give him one more chance. He thought of God’s face when he accused him of abandonment. He didn’t like what happened any more than Dustin. He stopped in front of the doors of RAGE.
         “Alright God, you win. I’m sorry for denouncing you, I’m ready to make amends if you are. You hear me Jesus, the toughest guy you created is begging for forgiveness, how’s that for humility” he yelled, laughing a bit. He could feel his soul being mended from all the cracks and ruptures it had received in the absence of God’s spirit.
         “Forgot how good that feels” Dustin whispered as he entered RAGE, his steps echoing in the once busy halls.
         “Hello? Raven? You in here?” Dustin said, his voice echoing throughout the building. He heard more footsteps heading for him, only one person, had to be Raven. He turned towards the footsteps and saw Raven running towards him, her arms open, hoping for an embrace. Dustin opened his arms, and they hugged.
         “Raven, I missed you” He said, holding her tight.
         “I missed you too” she replied, a tear trickling down her cheek.
         “I heard you got saved” he said, whispering in her ear.
         “Yeah, but you were dead, how’d you know?” she replied.
         “Who do you think sent me back to save you?” he said, trying to hide the emotion in his voice. He was failing miserably. Raven was dumbfounded. He had met God. Then she looked in his eyes. They were different.
         “You got saved too, didn’t you?” she asked. Dustin was half surprised, half proud.
         “Yeah, just a second ago, how did you know?” he asked.
         “Your eyes are different now” she replied, a tear staining her cheek. He smiled. For the first time in years he was happy. They hadn’t even known each other that long, and yet they were connected. They both knew it. So this is love…
         “We need to leave, Drake won’t be out for too much longer, and I don’t know of anywhere to go where he can’t find us” Dustin said, staring at the doorway.
         “I guess this is where we just trust God” Raven replied.
         “Still got some issues there…” Dustin said to no one in particular.
         “Time heals all wounds” Raven replied, smiling.
         “I give him another week” Dustin said, making an attempt at a joke. A piercing screech cracked through the silence of RAGE HQ.
         “Time to go” Dustin said, escorting Raven to the door.
         “Sorry, going to have to hoof it” Dustin yelled, running away from where the screech came from. Raven didn’t say anything, she needed all the energy she had to keep Dustin in sight. The screech was gaining, and Dustin didn’t like what this meant. Drake was getting stronger.
         “Great, now I can’t kill him” he sighed, looking over his shoulder as he ran to try and catch a glimpse of Raven. She was still following, but she needed a break desperately. He stopped at a clearing and waited for her to catch up. Had it been anyone else five minutes ago, they would have been left behind. She caught up, and Dustin threw her over his shoulder and started off again, doubling his pace. The screeching continued to gain on them, soon Raven would be able to see Drake on the horizon behind them. Then a fight would ensue, one where the outcome was already decided. But now he wouldn’t go to hell.
         “Raven, if we die, promise me you won’t be mad at me” Dustin yelled as he tried to speed up. This didn’t do much for Raven’s nerves. First Dustin was saying stuff like that, and some weird black dot was behind them, slowly growing. Then it hit her. That dot was Drake. A minute after Raven’s realization, Drake was so close you could see the blood drooling from his mouth. Dustin looked over his shoulder again, and realized why he was faster, and probably stronger now. He was no longer partially human, he was now a demon.
         “The irony” Dustin said as he leaped up near a tree and tossed Raven onto a sturdy branch. Drake tackled him in mid-air and pinned him to the ground.
         “Love the make-over Drake, vast improvement. You using the blood to appeal to the children that you’ve brain-washed?” Dustin said as he noticed the claws Frank had obtained.
         “Keep making your jokes, I can smell the fear emanating from you. It’s how I could follow you for so far” Drake said, spitting the foaming blood in his face.
         “Drake, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but ever since Raven left, my fear left. You see, I’m not scared of you. I know where I’m going if you win, and you know it too” Dustin said, spitting in Drake’s face during the last word. Drake promptly stabbed Dustin with his claws, making sure to hit internal organs. Dustin coughed up blood, then smiled.
         You can’t steal it this time Drake, I’ve re-found a sense of what it means to be happy. I dare you to steal it” Dustin said, blood soaking his shirt. Drake yelled and started cannibalistically ripping through Dustin’s flesh, blood trickling along the ground like a stream of crimson. But above Drake’s yells of anger, you could hear Dustin laughing. The more pain he felt, the more he laughed. Drake then finished off Dustin by stabbing through his neck, and the laughing stopped. Drake, satisfied with his work, started to cackle, and sniffed the air, looking for the girl. He couldn’t find her.
         “You can’t shield her from me, I’ll find and kill her, and YOU CAN”T STOP ME” Drake yelled into the sky.
                                           Chapter 9: Demon No More          
“Can you feel it Drake? The presence of God flowing around us? Can you feel that which causes you more pain than you can ever cause? Look into my eyes and see that which you hate” Dustin said, getting up, his clothes tattered but his body was practically unscathed.
         “Who are you?” Drake said, almost afraid…almost.
         “I’m the one that’s going to hunt you down, the one that’s going to end you. I’m no longer the Demon of Bereavement, no, I hunt that which causes sorrow, I hunt demons… I’m a Demon Hunter” Dustin said as he drew his weapon.
         “Now you get to be the prey” he said as he leaped into the air, his sword ready to slam down onto Drake’s head. Drake caught the blade, blood consuming his hand.
         “It cut?” he said.
         What good is a weapon to a Demon Hunter if it can’t hurt his prey?” Dustin said as he applied more pressure and cut into Drake’s arm, cutting towards the wrist. Drake screamed in pain, like a hurt animal. Then again, that’s all he was now, an animal that could feel nothing except pain and hatred. Drake pulled his arm away from the blade, examining it momentarily. It wasn’t healing. His left arm was useless now, and he had no sword to fight with. Time for the big guns. Drake paused for a moment, and reached into his left arm and pulled out two swords, using his blood, he sealed them together at the handle. They were Dustin’s original weapon.
         “Fitting almost, now I can finally get closure with what I once was” Dustin said. Drake took a step back. Can nothing scare him? He was starving for fear. And the presence of God wasn’t helping either. He might actually…
         Dustin made a run for Drake, then disappeared. Drake instantly looked behind and above him, but he was nowhere to be found. Then he felt a blade pierce his heart. He looked down and saw the blood soaked blade protruding from his chest. He turned around, and Dustin was right where he was before he disappeared.
         “God’s a comedian, isn’t he?” Dustin said as he took back his sword from Drake’s chest. Drake was now soaked in blood, and actually dying.
         “MASTER, SAVE ME” Drake screamed as he disappeared behind a wall of flame and screams. When the flames cleared, Frank was in the clutches of the devil.
         “YOU WEAKLING! HE’S A HUMAN AND YOU CAN’T KILL HIM? I REFUSE TO HELP THE WEAK!” he growled as he crushed Drake’s head in his fist. Dustin stood at the ready, incase he had to fight again. The devil looked at him with a renewed hatred, and as far as Dustin could tell, a hint of fear.
         “I FEAR NOTHING YOU PUTRID PILE OF (expletive)!” the devil growled at Dustin. Dustin merely smiled and walked away, remembering who’s supposed to kill him. He turned back, still grinning, to find nothing but Drake’s decimated corpse. The blood had evaporated from the flames of hell. He looked up into the tree he placed Raven in, and didn’t see her. He looked around the area and couldn’t find a trace of her. Then he found a shred of black cloth and the words, “she’s ours” written in blood on a tree trunk, with a trail of blood leading away from the tree. He took a moment to clear his mind, searching his memory of what happened for clues. There! When Drake pulled out the swords from his arm, a flash of red, demons, Raven, her mouth was covered, and that’s all he caught out of the corner of his eye. His body shook with fury, tears streaming down his face, he yelled with all his might, causing trees to shake and the ground to rumble. Then, in mid yell, he took off after the sense of evil he was picking up, faster than he had ever ran before. His leg muscles were beginning to tear, but he ran on, not losing speed, if anything, he gained it. He could hear them cackling, and screams of pain.
         “RAVEN!!!” he yelled, cutting down a tree in his way with one swing.
         “RAVEN!!!” he yelled again, seeing the red being that he had been following. The demon looked behind him once, just once. No screams, no fighting, just oblivion. Dustin stopped on one foot, the wind causing trees to shake. His leg was healed.
         “Thanks for the speed, I owe you one” he whispered to God as he grabbed the demon’s companion.
         “you tell your demon friends if they touch her again, they will see death take human form until hell is empty, now go join your fellow insects” he yelled as he ripped the head from the demon. Raven was lying on the ground near him, bleeding. He picked her up and saw that she had been badly beaten, and if she didn’t get healed soon, she would die. He held her in his arms, waiting for her to start breathing again. A few minutes passed, and nothing.
         “God, please, don’t take her from me” he whispered, trying to fight back tears. More time passed, still nothing.
         “I’M BEGGING YOU, DON’T LET HER DIE” he screamed, tears flowing down his face. He looked up, and through the haze of his tear filled eyes, he saw an Angel, holding her soul. The Angel was battered and bloody, he had to fight to get Raven from those demons, which means there were more involved.
         “She can’t comeback, can she?” Dustin asked, looking into the Angel’s eyes. The pain in them said it all. He kneeled over, smothering his face in Raven’s dead body. Another Angel put their hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He felt a small measure of peace, but not enough to calm him down.
         “Why can’t she come back? I got a second chance, why can’t she? Why is God taking the trust I placed in him and cramming it back down my throat?” Dustin screamed. The angel had no answer.